5 Best Portfolio Sites for Writers
As a freelance writer, you’re used to sharing writing samples when you pitch stories or apply for new gigs. If you usually send links to online clips or attach a PDF to your emails, you should consider switching to an online portfolio.
A web-based portfolio is easy to share, it makes you look professional when your name is Googled, and it can introduce your writing to new clients in search results. Best of all, many portfolio templates offer the most basic features for free.
Here are five great online portfolio platforms for freelance wordsmiths:
Clippings.me
Originally created with freelance journalists in mind, Clippings.me is a free portfolio platform that provides a quick and easy way to showcase unlimited clips. The website allows you to write a bio or introduction about yourself, add yourself to a journalist directory, link to your press clips or upload PDFs, and embed multimedia pieces such as videos or podcasts.
If you don’t want to spend a lot of time customizing your portfolio’s look and need something fast and mobile-friendly, Clippings.me is a great choice. Founder Nicholas Holmes also wrote an awesome piece on how to make a writing portfolio if you need help getting started.
Price: Free for a basic plan with unlimited stories. If you want more advanced features such as adding a downloadable resume, using social statistics, or incorporating a custom domain name, the website’s packages run between $4.99-$7.99 a month.
Pressfolios
Pressfolios provides an easy way to showcase your clips within an attractive template that also incorporates graphics. The website allows you to share your writing through either online clips or uploaded PDFs, and it also includes a nice bio section to help you introduce yourself. One great feature of Pressfolios is that it automatically backs up your text on a cloud, so you don’t have to worry about your writing disappearing even if their original websites go down.
Price: Free for up to 12 stories. Upgrading to the Pro version of Pressfolios is $11.99 a month, and provides expanded story backup (text and screenshots), unlimited stories, use of a custom domain name, and more.
Contently
While deceptively simple, Contently is an attractive, free, and easy-to-use template, making it another nice option for a portfolio website. Vetted, experienced writers can apply to be part of Contently’s freelance marketplace, which connects writers to brands and companies looking to hire for content marketing.
Price: Free for a portfolio. The marketplace is free to writers, but it does take a 15% “agent’s fee” for any paid projects you land.
Journo Portfolio
Bright and modern in appearance, Journo Portfolio is visual, easy-to-use, and mobile-friendly. In addition to allowing you to upload PDFs or link directly to your clips, it also has a feature for blogging directly on Journo Portfolio – which is great if you don’t want to manage multiple platforms. The website automatically backs up your online articles in PDF form, so your content will stick around even if their original websites don’t.
Price: Free for a basic package. It’s only $5 a month (with a three month minimum) to upgrade for more features, such as a custom domain name..
Squarespace
If you’re willing to pay a small subscription and want more control over your portfolio’s design, Squarespace is an easy-to-use option for creating a more robust website. While Squarespace isn’t marketed solely at writers – its format makes it a nice choice for designers, artists, and other business owners – it is a nice option for writers who incorporate graphics in their work, such as copywriters, creative directors, or bloggers. Squarespace starts you off with several beautiful templates to choose from (each with an optimized mobile display), and you can always change your template later if you want to mix things up.
Price: $8 a month for the most basic plan. The additional plans provide more storage, content, and advanced features; linking to a custom domain name is also available for members who sign up for a yearly plan. However, Freelancers Union members do get a 10% discount at Squarespace!
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